Controller for electric circuits.



C. H. CARTER.

CONTROLLER FOB. ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

APPLICATION FILED I'EB.15, 1908.

1,123,484. Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

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NORRIS PETER: (4),. rHQTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON. D. E

G. H. CARTER.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC GIRGUITS.

APPLICATION FILED M245, 1908.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

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THE NORRIS PETERS c0. PHOTO LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

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G. H. CARTER.-

CONTROLLER FOB ELECTRIC OIRGUITS.

AIIPLIOATION FILED 23.15, 1908.

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G. H. CARTER.

CONTROLLER run ELECTRIC cmcurrs.

v APPLICATION FILED PEB.15. 1908. 1,123,484 Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

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PATENT onnion.

CHARLES H. CARTER, COLON, PANAMA.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

Application filed February 15, 1308.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, CHARLES H. CARTER,

a citizen of the United States, residing in Colon, Panama, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Controllers for Electric Circuits, of which the following is a description. v

This invention relates to switches for controlling electric circuits, and among its objects may be noted the following: to provide a switch of simple and compact construction which may be readily operated to open and close the same by a pull on a single cord, or other connection, always in the same directiomto provide a switch or contact maker and breaker especially adapted to be located in places not easily accessible, or where the switch must be capable of control under any and allconditions and cir-. cumstances of location; to provide a device by means of which the contact can be made and broken instantaneously by a single action orv operation irrespective of its location: to provide a device by means of which successive pulls upon a single manipulating device will result in successively or alter- I which will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art. 7

With the above objects in view, my invention consists in the parts, features and combinations of elements hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 shows in elevation an incandescent lamp with base connection showing the manner in which the switch of my invention is manipulated; Fig. 2 is a vertical, central section of a portion of the lamp with base connection showing invention applied thereto; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33 of Fig} Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentecl Jan. 5, 1915.

Serial No. 415,999.

the arrow, this figure showing one form of my invention; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing another form of my invention; Figs. 5 to 13, inclusive, are diagrammatic views illustrating several forms of my invention and the mode of applying the same. to incandescent lamps and cluster' drawings are merely suggestive and. illustrative of forms deemed by me sufiicient to clearly disclose the full nature and characterof my invention as defined in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the lamp, 2 the base thereof which is ofstandard Edison construction except that the funnel or guide 3 for the manipulating or pull cord 4 is constructed in accordance with my invention. said cord passing through the funnel and base 2 from the switch mechanism. as hereinafter described. My switch mechanism consists in the form shown in Fig. 3 of the base or support 5. in this instance shown in the form of a disk capable or resting in the base of the lamp at the top of' the incandescent lamp'1, said disk being preferablv of insulating material. Connected to the disk 5, centrally thereof, is the ratchet-wheel (i. the connection being made by means of the clamping-screw 7 passing through said ratchet-wheel and also through said disk. Between the ratchet-wheel and the disk is secured the switch-bar or contact making and breaking device 8, which may be in the fork of a disk. as shown in the diagrammatic views of Figs. 5 to 7, and which may carry one or more contact arms or projections 9. This device 8 may be made se arate from the ratchet-wheel 6 and rigidly secured thereto so that. by rotating the said wheel, the said switclrdevice will be likewiserotated; or said device may be made as a part of the ratchet-wheel by simply stamp- 2, the direction of sight being indicated by -ingout the material of the .latter in such- Cit wise as to produce the contact projections 9, in a manner common in the art and well known to all skilled mechanics.

ihe ratchet-wheel 6 is provided with a plurality of angular projections or specially constructed teeth 10, clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4:, and each of which has the inclined back 11 and front edge 12 perpendic ular to the wheel 6 and in said perpendicular edge a notch or recess 13. The number of these teeth depends entirely upon the number of contacts employed and the extent of movement desired to be given to the ratchet-wheel 6. In the drawings, 1 have shown the ratchet-wheel as provided with teeth 10, six in number, equidistantly disposed about the periphery of the wheel and said teeth being disposed so as to present the inclined back 11 in substantially the angular direction of movement of the said wheel. The ratchet-wheel 6 is rotated in any suitable manner, the means selected by me consisting because of its simplicity and because of its combining the principals of a lever and of a spring. of a resilient wire, the bodv of which is coiled as at 14: about the shank of a post 15,-conveniently a screw, set in the disk 5 at a suitable distance from the edge thereof and from the ratchet-wheel and contact devices operated thereby. One end 16 of the spring is extended from the support 15 and bent around the post 17, which may be a screw,which is also set in the disk 5 near its periphery, the other end of the spring being offset at 18 so as to extend above the top of the screw, or at least above and free of the teeth 10 and then extended as at 19 across the ratchet-wheel 6 and bent into position such that it may engage perpendicular faces 12 of the ratchet-teeth 10 of the wheel 6. The extreme end of the arm or extension 19 is bent into a coil 20 for the reception of a knot or button 21, which may be formed in or on the cord 4-, which is extended through said coil or eye 20 and thence through a guide-eye 22 set in the disk 5 near its periphery and adjacent the funnel or guide 3 in the base of the lamp. To prevent the arm or extension 19 from moving too far or out of cooperative range with the ratchet-wheel. a post 23 is set in tie disk 5 near the periphery of the latter and beside the said ratchet-wheel. As previouslv stated, there may he one or more contact devices 9 which can, by the rotation of the ratchetwheel, be caused to cooperate with as many terminals as may be desired, according to the uses to which the switch mechanism is applied, there being two such terminals 24 and 25 shown in Fig. 3. As will a pear from the construction described, and the mode of operation presently set forth, the "atchet-wheel may beeitherca current-carrying member, or it may be insw la-ted so as to not translate the current through the same to the operating mechanism thereof. As shown in Fig. 4-, there may be but a single terminal, as 26, with which may cooperate contacts 27 carried by the device 8 and equi-distantly disposed around the i'ieriphery of the ratchet-wheel 6. Now referring to Fig. 2, the current will be brought to the lamp, which is of double filament type, in the usual manner and the circuit made through contact 28 and lead 29 to the screw 7 where said lead is clamped by means of the nut 30. The current passing through the screw to either the ratchetwheel 6,if a current-carrying member,or to the contact-device 8 which is, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6,-a current carrying member, when in engagement with the terminal 24, will be translated through and cause incandescence in the low resistance filament 31; but, if the contact 9 is in engagement with the terminal 25, the current will be trans lated through and cause incandescence in the high resistance filament 32, the positive and negative leads for the current in each instance being indicated by the usual symbols, the ring or band 33 constituting a portion of the return lead to the generator, as usual in this type of lamps. This illus trates the manner in which my switch may be applied to the well known turn-down lamps and in succession the large filament may be lighted and then the small filament may be lighted, and then the lamp turned out, these results being obtained by succes sive slight pulls upon a manipulating cord or device l without reference to the direction of pull of said cord, it being immaterial in which direction the pull upon the cord is made. the result always being the proper manipulation of the ratchetwheel through its resilient actuating device and the intermittent actuation of the ratchet-wheel in order to secure the several functions described. lVith reference to Figs. 4: and 7, it will be seen that my switch can be applied elieo tively to a double filament lamp whereby both filaments may be brought to incandescence and then the lamp put out in rapid succession for each and every pull upon the manipulating device 4, this result being ac complished by equi-distantly disposing the contacts 27 about the periphery of the device 8 and arranging the ratchet-wheel, as shown in Fig. 4. so as to give the same one-sixth of a revolution for every pull upon the cord t. Thuswise, the contacts 27 are successively caused to engage and separate from the terminal 26, as will be readily understood, the large and small filaments of the lamp be ng simultaneously lighted and put out.

With reference to Fig. 5, it will be seen. that my switch-device is applied to a multifilament incandescent lamp wherein the filaments are arranged in series and the one 33 acts as a cold resistance to the other 84a like reference characters, as the arrange ment is the'same. I

In Figs. 8 to 12, inclusive, I have shown my switch in connection with cluster lighting, which involves a change in the form or structure of the contact-device, the same, in this instance, being shown as a semi-disk 35, three terminals being illustrated in connection therewith and indicated by 36, 37 and v38. By manipulating the pull-cord 4, the

ratchet-wheel will be operated as in the other figures and the contact-device 35 will be brought from the dotted line position, of Fig. 8, to the full line position, so as to engage the terminal 36 connecting with lead 39, which will result in bringing the lamp at 40 to incandescence, the return-lead being indicated by the negative symbol. Another manipulation of the cord will cause the contact-device 35 to be moved into engagement with the terminal 37 and maintain its engagement with the terminal 36, thus bringing into incandescence the additional lamps 41, as shown by the full-line position of the contact-device in Fig. 9, the leads 42 connecting the terminal 37 with the said lamps 41 through lead 43. upon the cord 4 will produce the full-line position sl1owninFig. 10, wherein the terminal 38- is engaged by the contact 35, re-

sulting in producing incandescence in the additional lamps 44, through the several leads 4 5 and 46 connected to said terminal 38 and said lamps 44, all the lamps of-the several clusters now being lighted and all the terminals being in coiiperation with the contact 35. Another pull upon the cord 4 will produce the full-line position of Fig. 11, wherein the contact 35 is separated from the terminal 36, thus putting out the lamp 1 40; and another pull'upon the cord 4 will.

producethe full-line position of Fig. 12, wherein the contact 35 has been separated from the terminal 37, thus putting out the lamps 41; and still another pull upon the cord 4 will return the contact 35 to the dotted-line position of Fig. 8, resulting in separating said contact from the terminal 38 and putting out all the lamps, as will be readily understood;

Referringto Fig. 13, a diagram is shown wherein the contacts and lamps are multiplied, this diagram showing the versatility of my invention. In said figure, when the contact-device 35 is in engagement with the terminal 48, the lamp 49 will be lighted and an additional movement will bring the contact into engagement with the terminal 50, thus adding the several lights 51, through the several leads 52 and 53, this operation being continued through the successive terminals 54, 55, and 56, which, respectively,

Still another pull bring into circuit the clusters of lamps 57, 58, and 59, the successive elimination of lamps being produced as above described in connection with Figs. 8 to 12,, inclusive, until all the lights-havebeen put out and the contact-device 35 has again reached the full-line position of Fig. 13.

.Having thus disclosed'the construction, mode of operation and several applications of my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A switch-mechanism having, in combination, an attaching-member, a supporting-base within said member, a terminal carried by said base; a contact-device rotatably mounted on said base for cotiperation with said terminal; a ratchet-wheel connected with said contact-device; means for actuating the ratchet-wheel comprising a spring-retracted arm capable of moving n an angular direction relative to said wheel substantially parallel therewith across its face; and means for actuating said arm into cooperation with said wheel by impulses applied thereto successively in the same direction.

2. A switch-mechanism having, in combination, an attaching-member; a supporting-base for said member; terminals carried by sa1d base; a contact-dev1ce mounted on said base for coiiperation with said terminals; a ratchet-wheel connected with said contact-device; means for actuating the ratchet-wheel comprising a spring-retracted arm capable of movement across the faceof said ratchet-wheel; and means for actuating said arm into cooperation with said ratchet-wheel by impulses applied thereto successively in the same direction.

3. A switch mechanism having, in combination, an attaching-member; an insulated supporting-base for said member; terminals carried by said base; a contact-device, having a plurality of contact-pieces, mounted on said base for coiiperation with said terminals; a ratchet-wheel connected with said contact-device; and means for operating said ratchet-wheel by impulses applied thereto successively in the same direction.

4. A switch-mechanism having, in comblnatlon, an attach1ngmemloer;.a supporting-base of insulating material within said member; terminals carried by saidbase; a rotary contact-device mounted on said base and having a plurality of contact-fingers for cotiperation with said terminals, and also having ratchet-teeth at right-angles thereto; means for engaging theratchet-teeth, comprising a spring-arm capable of movement across the face thereof; and means for actuating said arm into coiiperation with said ratchet-teeth by impulses applied thereto successively in the same direction.

5. A switch-mechanism having, in combination, an attaching-member; high and for actuating said arm into cooperation with said ratchet-Wheel by impulses applied thereto successively in the same direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto 1.3 signed my name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

CHARLES H. CARTER.

/Vitnesses:

C. P. F AIRMAN, N. R. Jormsnn,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington. D. C. 

